Slab Leak Detection Service

Especially in Houston, detecting water leaks in your home’s slab foundation is a vital part of plumbing maintenance. Why? Because if a leak in your foundation goes undetected, it can break the foundation,and in extreme cases flood the first floor of your home, damaging appliances, carpets, and more.

What is a slab leak?

Most homes in Houston are built on top of a cement foundation, called a slab. Unlike in some other regions of the country, Houston’s soil is naturally soft and shifting. Because of the yielding quality of the soil, home builders must provide a stable root on which to place a house and keep it safe from the risks of shifting earth beneath it. Even the best slab foundations only minimize risks, however, they don’t eliminate them completely.

Much of houston’s soil consists of high amounts of clay. In the south, locals call this gumbo clay. It has a high alkalinity and traps waters in the small particles of clay. Because of this water-trapping quality of Houston clay, the clay is very sensitive to humidity levels. When humidity rises, the clay expands; when humidity drops, the clay shrinks.

Because clay is sensitive to changes in moisture levels, it is an unstable component of the soil that can cause foundation problems. when water is added to clay, the clay expands and moves, pressing against the foundation under the home. if enough pressure builds up against the foundation from the expanding clay beneath and beside it, the foundation can crack and break, and, in worst case scenarios, flood a houston home.

A slab leak can break a home’s foundation

In addition, a water leak in the slab concrete itself can spill into the soil, softening the soil and moving it away from the slab. as this happens, the slab can collapse, rather than crumble in, as described in the earlier scenario. 

As the slab sinks down into the softening soil, it crushes plumbing pipes. in the worst cases, these crush lines spill water back into the home, flooding the first floor and ruining appliances, carpets, and more.

In addition, leaky drain lines are a major contributors to  foundation problems. handling them means tunneling under the house. this breaks pipes.

Every time you use a water fixture that deposits into a broken pipe, the waste water flows into the cracks in the slab foundation, eroding them. water will come out of the ground, over the years the ground starts to get soft. once the ground is soft, the house will move and shift more. thus, you’ll have plumbing problems, foundation problems, and structural problems in the house.

5 Signs that your Home May Have a Foundation Leak

Here are important signs that your home may need a certified plumber to inspect possible slab leaks:

• bad smells from the walls or floors
• uneven lawn and garden plants
• hot spots on the floor
• cracks in your foundation
• extreme changes in the amount you pay for water each month

Call Mr. Fix It Plumbing for a home plumbing inspection. Our slab leak detection service can save you thousands of dollars in needless foundation repair.